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You're Invited To A Christmas Ball At The Real-Life Downtown Abbey Castle

If your holiday plans are feeling a little lackluster, you could always celebrate the holidays in true style with a Downton Abbey Christmas Ball at historic Highclere Castle, where the hit TV series was filmed. Downton Abbey was a surprise smash hit, running for six seasons and ending in 2016 with a two-hour finale/Christmas Special extravaganza. The period drama charted the lives of the Crawley family and their servants at Downton Abbey in the early 20th century, and from the costumes to the plotlines, fans lapped it up.

Although the series has been over for a few years now, that hasn't stopped the fandom clamoring for more, and next year, we'll be treated to a Downton Abbey movie to continue the story. Of course, if that can't come soon enough for you, and you are still dreaming of a white Christmas in Downton style... you are in luck, because a special event is being hosted this year to make all your period dreams come true.

Highclere Castle, where much of Downton Abbey was filmed, is hosting an event on December 15th, called the 'Downton Abbey Christmas Ball'. The event starts with champagne and canapes in the Saloon, before moving on to a three-course meal in the Library, and a raffle and Christmas Carol performance to wrap things up. The evening will run from around 4pm to 1am, including travel from London's Victoria station... and for those who want the full Lord-and-Lady-of-the-manor experience, you can wander some of the rooms, ask questions from guides, and may even get an appearance from Lord and Lady Carnarvon.

Of course, an experience like this isn't going to come cheap - cocktail hour and a fine dining meal (made with local ingredients, of course) at a historic castle would be an expensive ticket to begin with. Add in the Downton Abbey angle, and it's no wonder that last minute tickets to the event are going for around five hundred pounds (around $640).

Still, if you've got six or seven hundred dollars to spare (plus the cost of a plane ticket to London, of course), this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience for fans. Described as a "quintessentially British Christmas evening" by Premium Tours (who are hosting the event), this is one that would make for an unforgettable Christmas.